Front-wheel drive fob



E. NOEL.

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE FUR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 23| |911.

Patented Dec. 9,1919.

@l v u I NVENTOR. E: L I N D E L /7/56. TTRNEY.

' Eminent, or xANsAscrTYAviIssoUnI.

' ToaZZ whom, 'it may concern?" i Be it' known that l, ELI NOEL, afciti'zen.

of the United States, and'residing at Kansas City, in` the `county of VJackson and` State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Front-Wheel Drive for Automobiles,

of :which thefollowingfis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in frontwheel drives for autoniobiles in which gear wheels provided with radial convex cogs operate inconjunction with a "power driven front shaft or axle toturn the wheels `and pemitftheir deflection from a straight direction to steer thea'uton'iobile;` andthe: objects ofV my invention are, first, to provide a journal box forfthe power vdriven axle with facilities for bridging thejgearwheels havingradial convex cogs to transfer the load to the wheels second; to provide a journal box forthe stub shafts with facilities for supporting the wheels and for operating in conjunction with the abovenamed journal boxesto carry the load and,

' tive engagement. .i

third, to provide pivoted bridging members between theJ journal boxes to aHord facility for operating the gear wheels with radial c onvex cogs at. dierent'angles of opera- I 'attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawing,

in which- `Figure 1, is a vertical view of they front wheels of an automobile, partly7 sectioned, and showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, is a vertical section through the journal box on the stub shaft, on'the line VV,.in Fig. 3, and showing .the extension thereon for mounting the wheel; Fig. 3, is a view of the inner4 side of the journal box on the stub. shaft, the bridging members and the stub shaft being shown in cross-section; Fig 4, is a view of the inner side of the journal box on the driving axleor shaft, the axle and axle housing being shown in cross? section, and Fig. 5, is a plan view of the pivoted bridging member.

Similar reference `numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views. j

Referring to the drawings-l is the revoluble axle or shaft, 2, the axle housing, 3, the wheels, and 4, the diiferential gearhousing, containing the power receiving and power imparting devices, not shown, constituting the front wheel drive of an automobile. VJournal boxes 5, are mounted on.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iedrebnwry es, 1917. serial 1 r0.15o,57'7.f`

Vafter `formed integral with the upper and lower 7, rnonnwnnnn DRIVE .Foa AUfroMoBILns.

Patented nee. e, 19119.r

the axle` housing 3, and adapted to receive the driving axle or` shaft l. Gear housings 6, are formed integral with the outer side of the journal boxes andareadapted to receive and house a portion of gear wheel, hereindescribed. .Pivot supports 7 are ends of the journal boxes "5. `Gear wheels 8, provided with radial cogs 9, are mounted on the opposite end portions of the driven shaft 1, outwardly ofthe journal boxes Journal boxes 10,1 are provided integrally with outwardly 'prjecting 1 housings 11, which are adapted to enter the hubs ofthe wheels and permit them to turni thereon.

.Revoluble stubshafts 12,` are journaled in the boxes 10, their outer end portions being formed square and fitted in a disk, not shown, provided with cogs, not shown, which are engaged by similar cogs, not shown, formed on the ends of the hubs, not

turn, in the well known manner. Gear wheels 13, are mounted on the inner ends of the shafts 12, and are provided with radial convex cogs 15, which describe, in contour, a radius a little shorter than the radius described by the contour of the radial convex cogs Von the @gear wheels 8, which cogs 9 and 15, are adapted to operatively engage each other at any angle at which the gear wheels 13, are presented to the gear wheels 8. Caps 14, are screwed on the outer ends of the hubs of the wheels to exclude dirt and foreign substances froml the bearings. Pivot vsupports 16, are formed integral with the upper and lower ends of the journal boxes 10, in opposition to the pivot supports 7, on the journal boxes 5. Ears 17, areformed on the front and rear sides of thejournal boxes 10, and are adapted to receive steering rigging devices adapted for steering the wheels, such as arms levers and the like, and as shown at 18, in Fig. 3. Bridging members 19, are pivotally connected between the pivot supports 7 and 16, and thereby hingedly and rotatably connecting the journal boxes l0, with journal boxes 5. Pivot pins 20, are extended vertically through the pivot supports andare respectively seated in the adjacent journal box. The pivot pins 20, are located at definitely ascertained points of support, and which are determined by the radius of thecogs on the gear wheels 8 and 13.` In this instance the gear wheels shown shown, whereby the wheels are forced to steer the Wheels 3.

have cogs describing unequal radiuses, the

.radius of the gear Wheels 13, being less p Wheels 13, to move about the gear Wheels 8, with accuracy and with a minimum of friction, the independent turning movement of the gear Wheels 13, on the pivot pins on the journal boxes 10, assures the proper adjustment of the gear Wheels to drive and The pivot pins are, preferably, rigid, the bridge members 19, being provided With pivot holes 21, which are adapted to permit the bridge members p to turn thereon With a little freedom.

The construction and. assembly of the parts as hereinabove described affords facility for simultaneously driving and steering the front Wheels of automobiles, and thereby obtain the advantage incident to and safety;

It is understood that While I show and describe gear Wheels With cogs of unequal radius, gear Wheels having convex teeth of equal radiuses may be used, Without departing from my `invention or the scope of the appendedclaim.

Having described, my invention lvvhat I claimis-H j ln'a front, Wheel drive for automobiles, the combination with the universal joint having gears provided With convexed cogs, of a rigid bearing box supporting the driving gear shaft, a mobile. bearing box, supportingl the shaft of the driven gear, a bar coupling loosely Vmounted on pivots disposed vertically in the upper portions of said bearing boXes and afbar coupling loosely mounted on pivots disposed vertically in the lower portions of saidfbearing boxes and paralleling said first mentioned bar coupling. A n

l ELI NOEL. l/Vitnesses: i Y l BATTLE McGARDm, Y i

ELIAS BERELL, 

